Gundam UC90
by Espiritu Invictus
Summary: Two years after the Gryps Conflict, things seem to be moving towards stability, but in the shadows, the remnants of Neo-Zeon now rally to a new leader.  Captain Bright must lead a new generation of Newtypes into battle.  Emma Sheen and Haman Karn alive!
1. Awaken

**Episode One**

**Awaken**

She stared high up into the sky, into the blinding light of the colony's artificial lighting system. It was a marvelous thing to behold. Humanity had moved away from its ancestral home into the deep darkness of space by constructing the colonies. Trillions upon trillions of tiny parts worked together to create something that was once deemed as impossible.

"Janna, what are you looking at?"

The young girl turned away from the sky and looked to her friends that impatiently waited for her. "Sorry, I…" She continued walking to catch up with them, but before she reached them, she took one more glance behind her shoulder. "I thought I saw something," She said barely above a whisper as she caught up with them.

A small flicker of light in the sky appeared again.

All seemed at peace again when the girl caught up to her friends and they continued on their way to school. One of the boys in the group, the tall and strong one, threw his arm around Janna's shoulders.

As they approached their high school, Durham Academy, the group of friends noticed that there were more people on campus than usual—including many adults. They looked around in confusion for a few moments.

"What's going on?" One of the girls asked.

"It's the Science Fair, remember?" Janna spoke up.

The whole group immediately wrinkled their noses.

"They should call it a _Dork Fair_'" The boy with his arm around Janna said, immediately eliciting laughter from the whole group except from Janna. He seemed pretty proud of himself after that comment.

"Good one, Logan," The other boy said. He looked around for a moment. "Don't know why they're wasting their time on this crap when they could be at our wrestling match."

The girls, Abby and Paige, seemed to agree wholeheartedly with Ryan's comment, but they noticed that Janna did not say anything. "Sorry," They both uttered.

"Yeah, you know, your mother's a scientist and all."

Janna shrugged. "Climatologist." She motioned up towards the sky. "At least she makes nice weather for us." Her mother was one of the scientist in control of setting the weather for the colony.

Everyone seemed to agree in order to placate the situation. They continued on through the entrance courtyard, weaving past all the guests and supporters of the Science Fair. As they walked, however, Janna looked behind her into the crowd. Janna Eden felt like she was being watched.

His large black sunglasses along with his turned up collar on his trench coat hid his face from the world. He was not ready for the world to know him again—even by yet another alias. Yes, it was good for him to stay in the shadows—at least for the time being. Today, he was just another face in the crowd of many. He found it easy to lose himself in his thoughts until a pulse of energy burst into his consciousness—Kamille Bidan? "No, not Kamille," He said quietly to himself. He scanned through the crowd, searching for the source. "A girl," He mused. His eyes lay upon a very pretty young girl with long black hair and light skin. She was escorted into the building by what appeared to be her boyfriend. He stood there for a moment processing the encounter. "Very interesting, indeed."

The group of friends congregated around Janna's locker. While it was a priority for her to collect her books before class, it did not seem to be such with her friends. Instead, they all stood around talking about the wrestling match, gossip, music and movies, and whatever else they fancied. Janna took a moment to check her hair in the mirror before she shut it. Almost as soon as it closed, the first bell rang. Instinctively, the group of friends split up and hurried off to their destinations. Before he left, Logan waited for their standard goodbye kiss. She turned around and tilted her head up to give him a quick kiss, but instead, he came forward at her and sunk her into a deep kiss, pushing her into her locker.

"Logan," She chastised after he let her go. "You know Peterson threatened to give us both detentions if he saw us again."

"Yeah, be he isn't here," Logan said smugly.

"But I am."

Logan and Janna turned. There a thin and medium heighted boy stood with a disgusted look on his face. Janna immediately flushed all shades of red. Logan, however, looked brazen.

"What do you want?" Logan snapped.

"I think I have every right to talk to _my_ sister," The boy said back.

"Fine," Logan said. He walked away.

Janna did not seem happy with the interaction. "Why do you always have to do that?"

"He started it."

Janna sighed, knowing that she would get nothing accomplished by arguing with her brother. "What do you need, Jaden?"

"I can't give you a ride home tonight unless you want to stay for the Science Fair. I thought I better tell you."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll see about getting a ride. Logan's got a wrestling match at another school tonight. He can't take me home."

"Oh darn," Jaden said apathetically.

Janna ignored the comment. "I'll let you know after lunch."

"Alright." He nodded and walked away. The brother and sister—twins—went in opposite directions that morning. He had mathematics while she had history. As he turned the corner to the next hallway, Logan stood leaning against the wall looking very unhappy.

"So what makes you think you can bother me and my girlfriend?"

Jaden shot a dirty look at him. "She's my _sister_. I think that trumps whatever claim you think you have to her."

"Look, you little punk, do you think you can talk to me like that, or do you need another swirly to cool off? I shoved your head in a toilet in seventh grade, and I'll do it again." Logan started to corner him against the wall.

"Back off, Brek," Jaden said, feeling much less brave than he sounded, since the bathroom was merely a few meters away. "Just leave me alone."

"Mr. Brek? Mr. Eden? Everything alright?" A teacher called down the hallway. It was the P.E. teacher, Mr. Daley, who also was the wrestling coach.

"Yeah, Mr. D. Everything's cool." Logan waved. "Eden here's just helping me with a math question before class."

Mr. Daley gave a chuckle. "Yeah, an egg-head like Eden can help you out with that." He walked over to the two boys and put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "Probably too busy thinking about the match to do any math, aren't you?"

Logan nodded sympathetically.

"Good man," He shook Logan and gave him a hard pat on the back. The coach then looked towards small and thin Jaden Eden. He looked up and down, sizing him up, before speaking. "You could really take a few pointers from Logan here about proper exercise and body-building. You know, get some meat on you."

"I'll be just fine." Jaden said.

"Anyway, boys—get to class." He led them to the door, not noticing the dirty looks they shot one another before reaching the classroom.

"Drop dead, Eden." Logan spat under his breath.

"You first," Jaden replied with just as much venom.

* * *

><p>"This is a nice one," Frau Kobayashi said, stopping before one of the exhibits. "The Endangered Whales of Planet Earth," she read aloud. "Lots of pretty pictures and interesting facts."<p>

"Cute."

"Cute?" She looked back over her shoulder at Amuro Ray. "Why do you always have to be so…so…"

"What?"

"Condescending?" She teased.

"I am not condescending," He seemed a little offended. "This is not what we're looking for, Frau."

"I know that." She looked at the bottom corner of the diorama, noting that sixth grader made it. "Can't we just enjoy our time until we find what we're looking for?"

"If we're right about this, we don't have time," Amuro said, darkly.

Frau stood silent for a moment with her head turned a bit. "It reminds me of a poster board that Kikka made at school about dolphins."

"Dolphins are extinct in the wild, you know," Amuro said matter of factly.

"I know." Frau wanted to roll her eyes.

It was just then that flash of enlightenment—a pulse of energy and emotion—struck his soul. Char? No, it couldn't be Char. From everything he knew to be true, Char was dead. He looked behind him, searching desperately through the crowded auditorium. His eyes fell upon a young boy. Without saying a word to Frau, he charged off towards the boy.

"Amuro?" Frau noticed him leave. "Amuro, wait!" She quickly followed behind.

Amuro pushed through the crowd until he reached the boy. The exhibit itself was not very exciting, but the project the boy presented was. He had built a small scale vernier thruster—typically those used for Gundam mechanics. Amuro studied the proto-type thruster for a few moments. The boy took a few moments to notice him.

"Hello, sir." The boy said shyly.

Amuro felt his Newtype abilities reaching out, searching for information, as he studied the thruster. It took him a moment to realize he was being spoken to.

"I'm Frau Kobayashi. This is my friend…"

"Amuro," He finally spoke up.

"Amuro?" The boy expected a last name.

"Just Amuro." That was all he wished to supply at the moment.

"Well," The boy looked a little nervous. He glanced back to his project. "I'm Jaden Eden. This is my prototype for a vernier thruster. I've made some modifications and improvements that demonstrate higher performance than current civilian type thrusters on the market."

Amuro nodded. "I see that. Ever wonder how it would hold up against military class thrusters?"

"Well, of course," Jaden blurted out then blushed afterward. "But information like that is classified."

"Yes, of course," Amuro said. He continued to look at the research notes posted on the diorama board while Jaden stood quietly nearby. Once Amuro was finished reading, he stood up straight, signaling that he was ready to leave.

"Thank you for looking, sir," Jaden said. "And ma'am." He looked to Frau.

"Thank you for letting us look," Amuro said. They started to walk away. Amuro let Frau pass him before he turned back. "It would not only hold up, but out-perform." He continued on behind Frau.

Jaden stood a bit dumbfounded until he figured out what Amuro meant, and then it was difficult to suppress a smile.

"What are you smiling at?"

Jaden shook his head to snap back into reality. "What?"

"Who was that?" Janna asked as Amuro and Frau walked away.

It still took Jaden a moment to process. "Just someone interested in my project. They stopped to look for a few minutes and left."

"What time is this thing done?" Janna looked around the room, hoping for signs that the exhibition was over.

Jaden looked at his watch. "Fifteen minutes."

"Can't we go now?" She pouted.

Jaden rolled his eyes. "If you help me pack up my things, we can go now."

She agreed. They went back over to the booth and cleaned the area. Jaden packed the small thruster into a box with soft packing material and closed it up. He then gathered all his folders and binders full of research. He handed the folders, binders, and rolled up design plans to Janna while he carried the box.

"We'll stop at my locker quick then we'll head home."

"Why can't we just take everything home with us?" She asked.

"I don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"I just don't want to." Jaden seemed finished on that subject to which Janna merely rolled her eyes.

They walked down the empty school hallways until they reached Jaden's locker. He carefully tucked the box into his locker, but while looking inside, he decided to pull out another folder. He handed it to Janna and then grabbed his school books.

"How come you have so much homework?" She asked.

"Spent study hall at the Science Fair," He said.

After that, they walked out of the school in silence. When they came close to the small car on the street, Jaden set the books on the car and reached into his pant pocket for his wallet. He took out the keycard and opened the car door. He tossed his books into the backseat then sat down in the driver's seat. The car engine flared up from the activation of the keycard. Janna sat down, keeping the papers in her lap.

Jaden hit the accelerator, and they were off. He drove down the streets of the colony much faster than was legal, but Jaden was a very good driver.

"You're speeding," Janna nagged.

"So?"

Janna rolled her eyes. She figured she couldn't complain. She didn't have her driver's license. It seemed easy enough to let everyone drive her around—mom and dad, Logan, Jaden. As Jaden drove the car at what felt like rocket speed, she started shuffling through the papers in her lap.

She eyes felt upon a blueprint for a Gundam unit.

Jaden glanced over and noticed what she was doing. He quickly tried to grab the paper away from her, but she pulled it out of his reach. The car swerved to the right.

"Jaden, pay attention!"

Jaden straightened the car back out. "Close it," He said sternly.

Janna didn't close the folder. "Dad would be mad, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Jaden stared forward at the road.

Janna studied the blueprint for a few moments. As the car continued down the road, her senses started to focus. All that seemed to exist for one moment was the blueprint. She put her finger down on it. "Shouldn't the vents be a little lower?"

Jaden looked back over at her and the blue-print. "That's exactly what I was debating." A bemused smirk appeared on his face.

After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again. "You're smarter than them, you know—that _Brick Head_ and the others." _Brick Head_ was Jaden's favorite name to call Logan Brek.

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about, and his name is _Logan_."

Should he tell her—about all the mean and cruel things Logan has done to him over the years: shoving his head in the toilet, putting chili pepper powder in his gym uniform, stealing his lunch multiple times a week, or using him as a personal punching bag, just to name a few? Not today. They rode the rest of the way home in silence.

They arrived home to the strange smell of something fishy. Their mother greeted them from the kitchen with a warm smile and a cooking apron. They both cringed on the inside—their mother was in the kitchen.

"Hi, mom," They both said at the same time, each taking a turn to receive a hug from their mother.

"I hope you're hungry. I've made something special—tuna and crab casserole!"

Both Jaden and Janna constructed the same awkward and tortured smile on their faces.

Their mother, Kaori Eden, was a celebrated climatologist. She was given the responsibility of controlling the weather at Side 6 and was consulted by other climatologists all over the colonies and even on Earth. However, having her in the kitchen was another story. She liked to experiment with her cooking, and her family had to suffer the consequences.

"Dinner's almost ready," She said to her children. "I've worked especially hard on this one today."

"Where's dad?" Janna asked.

"In his study. Can you get him?" Her mother answered, putting on her sunflower oven mitts.

Janna left the kitchen and headed straight to the study. It was in a quieter part of the house on the first floor. The way was unlit and dark, but she knew her house by heart. It was the only house she ever lived in. The study was the only room lit up on that end of the house so she knew he was still in there. "Dad," she called as she crossed the threshold into the room.

Andreas Eden sat at his desk holding up the newspaper in front of his face. He lingered for a moment and mumbling something about "those war mongers" before he laid the paper down. There was a pleasant smile on his face for his daughter. "Yes, honey?"

"Mom says dinner is ready." She leaned against the doorway.

"Is that so?" He tried to disguise his dread with excitement. He never would say anything against his wife's cooking, nor would he allow his children to do so, but it was obvious that he too did not especially enjoy her surprise dinners. He turned his computer off and stood up from his chair. "Then I suppose we shouldn't keep her waiting."

They walked together in silence back to the kitchen. Jaden was already seated in his usual place, looking rather queasily at the casserole that lay in the middle of the table.

Mr. Eden took a deep breath of what smelled like oily fish. "Looks nice, honey."

His wife beamed with pride. "It's not every night I can make my family a home cooked meal."

"You really don't have to worry about it, mom," Jaden said. "We can get our own food."

Mr. Eden shot his son a dirty look.

"Well, let's eat," Mrs. Eden said.

They all took their places at the table and started their dinner. After a few minutes of the clanking of plates and silverware, small talk began around the table.

"So, Jaden, how was the first day of the Science Fair?" Mr. Eden asked his son.

"It was fine," Jaden said, just before taking a small test bite of the casserole.

"I think Genetics is a very fascinating subject," Mr. Eden said. "I cannot believe sometimes just how complete even one strand of DNA can be."

"Genetics?" Janna spoke up.

Jaden set his fork down and stared at his sister.

"Your brother's science project," Mr. Eden said. "About Genetics."

Janna looked straight at her brother. She knew that look—_the please keep your mouth shut I'm begging you look. _"Oh, right," She said. "I forgot."

"Your mom and I will be stopping by Friday afternoon to see it," Mr. Eden said. "I've got my TA covering my last few classes."

Janna wondered how her brother was going to pull that one off, but it wasn't her problem

"Janna, you should have entered something into the Science Fair," Mrs. Eden said.

"Like what?" She asked.

"I don't know exactly, but you've always liked learning about the solar system. Remember when you used to beg us to take you to the planetarium every weekend?"

"I was ten," She said flatly.

"Well, I'm just saying that you could have found something you were interested in and made an exhibit. You're in school to learn and explore new things so you should make every opportunity to do so," Mrs. Eden said.

"Your mother's right, Janna. Durham Academy isn't cheap, but we're committed to giving you the best education we can."

Janna rolled her eyes, knowing the speech that was about to follow. She tuned out the new few minutes of monologue from her father about the importance of education, and the value of knowledge and hard work. She tuned back in once she heard the cue that he was about finished.

"…and so I am very proud of both of you and want you to succeed in this world. I want you to reach your maximum potential. I believe in you very much so please show me your best efforts," Mr. Eden finished his speech.

"Well said, darling," Mrs. Eden said. She said that every time.

"Yes, mom. Yes, dad." Janna and Jaden both knew it was there line.

"Good," Mr. Eden said. He said that every time too. Now conversation could continue like normal.

"Did anyone see in the news that Side 5 is thinking about expanding their colony to include two million more people?" Mrs. Eden said, trying to start conversation, just as the phone rang. "I'll get it," She got up from the table and went into the kitchen.

"Two million, huh?" Mr. Eden pondered on that.

"Seems like it would almost be easier to build a new colony than add to an existing one on that scale," Jaden said.

Janna perked up once she heard her name from the kitchen. The conversation at the table died down.

"I'm sorry, Logan. She'll have to call you back. We're in the middle of dinner right now." They were never allowed to leave dinner for a phone conversation. "Goodbye." Mrs. Eden came back into the dining room.

"Can I be excused?" Janna piped up immediately.

"You've barely eaten your casserole," Mrs. Eden said, looking at the few small bites that Janna took. "You need your strength for school. After you finish, you may go."

Janna wearily picked up her fork and started eating again.

"And besides, I bought a chocolate pie from the bakery for dessert."

Jaden looked like he was resurrected back to life. "Chocolate pie?"

Mr. Eden chuckled. "I knew that would wake him up."

"It's my favorite," Jaden said, tackling his tuna and crab casserole with renewed vigor.

"I know," Mrs. Eden said with a twinkle in her eye. She looked over at Janna too, who also renewed her effort. It was her favorite too.

* * *

><p>The mornings were always a fiasco at the Eden household. With four very busy people in the house, it was difficult for everyone to find what they needed, be prepared to go out in the morning, and get everyone fed a proper breakfast. Jaden always reached for his favorite cereal in the morning which his mother would invariably reply, "I don't even know why I buy that sugar-filled garbage." However, Mrs. Eden usually relented from her tirade against Jaden when she would see Janna eating nothing at all for breakfast every morning.<p>

"You need to eat, Janna. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Mrs. Eden scolded.

"Mom!" Janna scowled as her mother bumped her chair. Her lipstick painted her upper-lip instead.

"Why do you have to put so much make-up on? You're beautiful just the way you are, darling."

Janna rolled her eyes.

"Your mother's right," Mr. Eden said before taking a bite of his morning apple. "If someone can't like you just the way you are, then they are no true friend."

"That's right," Mrs. Eden sat down at the table in her white laboratory coat. She picked up her spoon and started to stir up her yogurt. "It is better to be hated for what you are rather than be liked for what you are not."

"Tell that to the world then," She muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Mrs. Eden asked.

"Anyway," Mr. Eden said to defuse a tense moment. He looked to his son who had a mouth full of cereal. "I saw you were up late last night, Jaden."

Jaden swallowed his cereal. "I had a lot of homework to do." It was a half-truth. Yes, there was a lot of homework, but it was mindless drone work and easily finished within an hour. He spent the rest of the night sketching and drawing blue-prints for things that his father would not approve.

"Good," Mr. Eden smiled at his son to which Jaden felt a hot wave of guilt on the inside.

"Andreas, look at the time!" Mrs. Eden exclaimed. "You should have been already out the door!"

Mr. Eden stood up in his neatly pressed jeans and suit jacket. He grabbed his glasses out of his pocket and reached down for his brief case. This was Andreas Eden. He was a professor of communications and speech at The University of Side 6 Riah along with being a well-known writer, lecturer, and pacifist. Andreas Eden was instrumental in keeping Side 6 neutral during the One Year War. But right now, he was just a father and a husband. He waved goodbye to his family and ran out the door.

After he was gone, Mrs. Eden urged her children to hurry while she started clearing the dishes. It was just as her arms were full of dishes that the phone rang. "Can someone get that?"

Janna bolted out of her seat towards the phone. The caller-ID confirmed her hopes. "Logan," She said breathlessly.

Jaden looked like he wanted to throw up his cereal.

After a few seconds though, her countenance fell. "Oh, alright. I understand. I'll see you at school then." She hung up the phone.

"What's the matter?" Mrs. Eden asked.

"Logan's car is broke. I need a ride." She looked to Jaden.

"Yeah, okay, but I have to stay late again."

Janna sighed.

About twenty minutes later, the brother and sister gave their quick goodbyes to their mother and headed out to the car. Instinctively, Jaden got into the driver's seat while Janna took the passenger's side. She clicked her belt, turned on some music, and they were off.

"How come your car never breaks down, Jaden?"

"Because I know how to fix it, and I'm not a complete moron like…" He stopped once he saw the look on Janna's face. When was she ever going to wake up and realize what Logan truly was? "…I may drive fast, but I'm not reckless," He finished in a much more tactful way.

They rode for a few kilometers in silence only with the music playing, but last night popped into her head again. "So what are you going to do about mom and dad and the Science Fair? Obviously, your project isn't about genetics…"

"I have a second project just for that reason, and it is about genetics."

"You did two projects?" She looked flabbergasted. "I don't know why anyone would do even one, but two? At least, you could have done something that mom and dad would have approved of so then you wouldn't have to do two."

"Yeah, well, that's not the way I wanted to do things."

"You're bringing on trouble, if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you."

"All I saying is that if dad managed to find out…"

"I know," Jaden said forcefully. "You don't think I get it? I know who our father is! I know that the food I eat and the clothes I wear are paid for by the book he wrote against the wars! I get it, okay!"

"Then why, Jaden? Tell me why!"

"Because there are some things worth fighting for! And I'm good at building things! I can build things that can protect people—save lives!"

Janna didn't say anything more. She knew how her father would respond to an argument like that, but she did not feel like arguing. They rode the rest of the way to school in silence.

* * *

><p>Principle Peterson cleared his throat before starting the long drone of the morning announcements:<p>

_Welcome Students to another day at Durham Academy_

_Today is Thursday February 23__rd__ UC0090_

_Today's temperature is 20ºC with a slight chance of rain in the late morning_

_Today's lunch will be spaghetti with meatballs, green beans, dinner roll, and cookie. You may have your choice of water, chocolate milk, or white milk. _

_Extracurricular Programs Information: _

_The Art Club will not be meeting today due to the fact that Mrs. Piper is absent on sick-leave._

_History Club: Remember to have your permission forms turned into Mr. Redding by 3:15 today otherwise you will not be allowed to attend the trip this weekend. _

_The second day of the Science Fair starts today. Please stop by and support your fellow students on their projects. _

_In Sports News:_

_Make sure you congratulate our wrestling team for its victory against St. Francis Preparatory School last night. _

_Remember to attend tonight's home basketball game at 7:30pm against Valley Forge High School. It's the last game of the season, and we need to show some "Tiger Spirit!" _

_And for other news: Today our school will providing Career Testing to the student body on behalf of NOEZ Corporation. You will quietly be called out of class to participate in this opportunity. _

_Thank you and good day. _

As Jaden sat in math class, he pondered upon the last thing the principle announced to them—career testing. But he couldn't think about it too long since something struck him in the back of the head. He first looked down to the floor, seeing a piece of wadded up paper, then he looked behind him to see Logan and his friends all wearing smirks on their faces.

On the other side of the school, Janna sat in her desk during History class pondering the same thing, that is, until she felt a strange, but small, pain in the back of her head for unexplained reasons.

* * *

><p>The day went on as any Thursday would except for the fact that a large portion of the school seemed to be taken over by that career consulting corporation. They had at least taken over five extra activity rooms and wires ran up and down the hallways. Other than that, the day seemed completely normal. It seemed that at least one or two students were taken out per class to be tested.<p>

It must be pretty involved, Janna thought to herself, as students were pulled out of one class and they returned hours later. Again, more students were being called out of the classroom at that moment.

"Jacobsen, Eric."

The boy in the front left corner of the room stood up and headed to the door. He was a very bright one. They'd probably tell him that he should be a doctor or something. Janna smirked. Perhaps her career choice should be career counseling.

"Eden, Janna."

Janna looked towards the door. They wanted her? She looked a bit dumbfounded for a moment, but after snapping back into reality, she got up from her desk and left her economics class. When she got to the hallway, she stood with Eric Jacobson and a few other students. Apparently the school staff was working for the career consultants because it was the lunch lady who pulled them out of class.

"Alright. Abbot, you go to room E-2. Potter, you're in E-3. Jacobson E-7, and Eden, you're in E-15," The lunch lady said while scanning over her clipboard.

Janna headed in one direction while the others went in the other direction. She followed the long strand of thick cables and cords down the hallway to the designated classroom. As she grew closer, the lights were either burnt out, flickering, or very dim, giving Janna a sense of trepidation and caution.

Finally, she came to room E-15. She grasped the handle and slowly opened the door. The room was filled with computers, monitors, buttons, lights and cords. Apparently, they meant business.

"Good afternoon, Miss Eden."

Janna about jumped out of her skin. She was paying much more attention to all the technological gadgets and equipment that she did not notice anyone approach her. She looked over at him, her heart pounding. "Who are you?"

"I am Doctor Nerus."

He was a very strange looking man to say the least. He was very pale, not looking like he spent much time outdoors at all. His hair was greyish-white and looked like it needed a comb run through it a few times. His posture was terrible. Janna imagined that he spent many hours of his life hovering over a computer or desk. After studying the man who approached her, she noticed three other men, all dressed in fine black suits, standing in the shadows.

One of them approached her. He took ahold of her arm a little more forcefully than she cared for and led her into the shadows. "First, we are going to do a little test on your sensory perception and reflexes."

This was career testing? Janna thought it was strange, but perhaps they were testing to see if she should be a professional athlete. The joke would be on them. She hated sports.

Awaiting her was a machine that looked much like an egg. When they approached, the pod opened up and an empty seat waited inside. The man who guided her gave her a gentle push towards the open seat. Before stepping in, Janna noticed that many of the wires in the room connected to this pod. She took her seat and the pod closed behind her. Darkness.

She waited a few moments in the dark until the screen in front of her lit up. A computerized voice—a calm and soothing female voice—spoke to her. "Welcome to NOEZ Cybertronic Testing Version 2.0. Today, we will begin with a standard assessment of your sensory perceptions and reaction times. Relax and follow the directions given."

The screen changed to an image of outer space. "Pretend you are drifting in outer space. Alone, carefree, silent. Close your eyes and take a moment and try to feel out all around you."

This was stupid. However, Janna closed her eyes anyway. Perhaps this was some really new way of testing a person to find out what career they should have. She tried to relax as the computer lady's voice told her too. She didn't know what it meant to _'feel out all around_ you' but she tried anyway.

It felt like she was _'feeling out all around her'_ for an eternity before anything happened. The computer's voice disrupted the peace. "You are not alone. There are enemies. They've come to destroy you. They've come to destroy your colony. You must protect them. Reach for your gun!"

"Reach for your gun?" Janna pondered for a moment, but even before she could realize it, her right hand grasped a hold of the right joystick and was already clicking off rounds of ammunition at her enemies.

This repeated for a few moments as enemies came in from the left and the right. Automatically, Janna would fire off a few rounds in their direction, not even taking time to properly aim that them. It took her a long while to slow down and process what was happening and what she was shooting at. Once she did, she saw white mobile suits flying at her, and every time, without thinking much about it, she would fire off rounds in their direction.

"You are victorious," The computer said to her. Then the computer and its screen shut down. Darkness again. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she sat alone in the darkness for a few moments. The pod opened back up.

The same man who put her in the pod was standing outside, but he did not offer to help her out of it. She wearily crawled out and looked around at the computers again. "Am I finished?"

"Not quite, Miss Eden. I need you to do one more thing."

The doctor led her to another section of the room. This place looked even more daunting. There was a wooden table, which was standard in the classroom, but on top of it, was a headset spewing with wires of all colors. There were many gauges and monitors around the table as well.

"What is this?" Janna asked as it was made clear that she was to sit down at the table.

"This is just a little test to monitor your brain waves," The doctor said, almost with a laugh.

"When do I find out my results?"

The doctor looked confused.

"You know, my career results."

"Oh, my dear, you'll find those out this afternoon. But don't worry about that right now. Just do your best." He placed the headset on her head. "Fasten the strap and relax."

Waves of trepidation washed over her. "I don't think I really want to do this anymore."

"You have nothing to worry about, Miss Eden. Everything will be fine. You'll be back to class sooner than you realize." He reached down and strapped the chin piece on for her which only creeped Janna out more to have his old bony hands near her face. Once he was finished, he sat down at the other side of the table. He looked at Janna for a moment then turned to one of his assistants in the black suits and nodded.

One of the assistants, sitting at a control panel, began to cautiously push a lever forward. The room filled with the sound of a quiet hum.

Janna felt a headache appear immediately inside her head. She was fine before, but all of the sudden for unexplained reasons, her head started to ache. The pain grew stronger. Her eyebrows hunched over her eyes. The pain continued to grow. She was starting to sweat. "I don't want…please stop…" She gnashed her teeth in pain. "Please…stop…please…stop…" The pain only grew. She clutched her forehead, begging for mercy. "Stop! Please!" Tears were starting to form. "PLEASE STOP! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"

Dr. Nerus continued to watch her for a few moments longer. He looked over at his assistant at the control panel. He nodded to the doctor. With a small smirk on his face, the doctor returned the nod, signaling for the machine to be shut off.

Janna sat with her head in her hands. The pain was gone. It was like she didn't have a headache at all. The tears in her eyes seemed absolutely pointless. She looked up at the doctor completely stunned.

The doctor still had that same smirk on his face. "Very good, Miss Eden." His smirk grew wider. "Very good."

"What did you do to me?" It was obvious that these people were not career consultants.

Dr. Nerus ignored her question. He walked over to the control panel and starting looking at the data gathered from Janna's test. "Please escort Miss Eden to the holding room."

The men in suits immediately surrounded Janna, each taking an arm. They lifted her out of her chair and started carrying her towards the door.

Janna started to fight, but fear and confusion made her limbs weak. "Who are you people? Where are you taking me? What are you doing with me?" It wasn't long before she was gagged with a piece of cloth and carried through the school hallways to another room. When they opened the door, she saw her brother sitting down at a table alone.

"Janna!" He leapt from the table. "Leave her alone!"

The three men threw Janna into the room. She immediately tore the gag off her mouth and started yelling obscenities at them. Jaden, however, stepped in front of her before she noticed one of the men pointing a gun at her.

Jaden and Janna felt silent.

Soon more people came into the room. After the three men in suits came into the room, Dr. Nerus came into the room along with a man in a grey uniform. He looked to be in his late-twenties, and finely dressed and well-kept. His hair was bright blonde and his eyes were a light blue color—like the sky.

"Please have a seat, Mr. and Miss Eden," He said with an airy voice.

"Who are you?" Janna heard fear and worry in Jaden's voice.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Volker Althaus. I am with Noez Corporation…"

"We all know that's a bunch of crap!" Jaden spouted.

Janna thought this Volker Althaus seemed like the type to get really angry at a remark like that, but he didn't. He only laughed.

"Alright then. I am an officer with Neo-Zeon. I serve the legacy of the Zabi family and the hope of creating freedom and peace for all the colonies."

"What do you want with us? Why are you here—at our school?" Janna spoke up.

Volker folded his hands together and placed them neatly on the table. "I suppose the reason we are here is not a complete ruse. We are looking for talented young individuals such as yourselves to help us in creating a new world for the colonies—a world of independence and freedom. We need people like you to achieve this glorious dream."

"So why all this testing? Why us?" Jaden asked.

"Ah, that is an excellent question, Mr. Eden. You and your twin sister, here," He nodded to Janna. "are _Newtypes_."

"_Newtypes_?" Jaden and Janna both said at the same time—Jaden more with unbelief and Janna more with confusion.

"Yes, natural born Newtypes." He paused for a moment. "Newtypes—the next evolutionary step in humanity. Some—not many—have already displayed enhanced abilities—abilities that allow humans to function and adapt better to outer space. These effects on the human brain and psyche can be simulated—but they have proven generally to be unstable. The truth is, not enough is known about Newtypes to effectively reproduce Newtype abilities in Cyber-Newtypes. For now, natural-born Newtypes are the stability we need in the future to come."

"You think we're Newtypes?" Jaden said, almost amused. It was pseudo-science to say the least.

"Your tests prove it. You both are Newtypes." Volker took a long glance at them before he spoke again. "We need people like you to serve the colonies. We want you come to Neo-Zeon."

"We don't want anything to do with you. We just want to go home now, okay?" Janna said.

Volker smiled. "And there is where we are at an impasse. As I told you, our purpose here was not a complete ruse. You wanted to find out your perfect career? I will tell you. You both will be coming with us, and you will serve in Neo-Zeon in her struggle for freedom and independence. This is non-negotiable."

"You can do this to us!" Janna screamed. "We have teachers and parents and…"

"Your teachers have been paid a vast sum of money to keep their mouths shut and your parents…let's just say we have someone who has already taken care of that…"

"What did you do?" Janna screamed.

The door burst open, knocking one of the men straight in the face.

"Janna, are you alright?" Logan hollered.

Jaden and Janna immediately ran for the door while Logan body checked Dr. Nerus into Volker Althaus and the other men. He slammed the door shut quickly and the three of them ran down the hallway.

"What is going on?" Logan yelled. "I heard your voice then there was screaming."

"They're trying to take us away!" Janna hollered back.

Gun shots fired from behind them. Logan and Jaden dodged to the left while Janna went right. They had to keep running, they couldn't stop.

"We've got to go back!" Logan said. "We can't leave her!"

"Keep running! We'll find her!" Jaden said.

Durham Academy was empty. School had already ended. The hallways were vast, long, and empty. Jaden and Logan instinctive took random turns and directions around corners to throw off their pursuers. One they thought they were out of reach, they stopped and tried to catch their breaths.

"Janna went towards the cafeteria," Jaden panted. "We should try to sneak along the back hallway and get over there."

"Right," Logan nodded, a little winded himself.

They took off together in a sprint. They tried to be fast and quiet at the same time, but it was difficult to do both. Before every crossway, they peeked around the corner to see if it was safe. When they came to the main crossway, Jaden carefully looked around the corner. The three men in suits were there. They fired a shot.

"What are you doing?" One of them yelled.

"I thought I saw something!" The other replied.

"Come on, let's go this way!" The third said. Soon they were out of sight.

"We're clear! Let's go." Jaden said. Logan didn't reply. Jaden looked behind him.

The bullet ricocheted and had hit Logan in the side. He slumped against the wall as his whole side started to stain with blood.

"Logan!" Jaden put his hand over the wound.

"You have to…find…Janna…" He grunted through his pain. "Go…find her…leave…me…"

Jaden furiously shook his head. "No, they'll kill you. I can't leave you." Jaden grabbed a hold of Logan's arm and threw it over his shoulders. He slowly started to leave their place and move across the hallway.

They walked down to the end of the hallway. It seemed like an eternity as they inched further and further along, leaving a trail of blood. They were able to round the second corner and walk a little further until Logan's knees gave out.

"Down…put me…down…" He managed to utter.

Jaden fulfilled his request and leaned Logan against the wall. He immediately slumped into a sitting position on the floor. His breaths were shallow as he tried to recover his strength.

"Logan, you can't stop. They'll catch us. We have to keep moving."

"I…can't…you…go…Janna…I…won't make…it…"

Jaden shook his head. "You're going to make it. Come on." He placed his hand over the wound again, feeling hot blood touch against his own skin. "You're not going to die. Come on. You're not going to die. You can't die."

Through his gasps, Logan managed to look up into Jaden's eyes. The two of them only locked eyes for a brief moment. "Jaden…I'm…sorry…" His breath stopped.

"I'm sorry too, Logan," was the only thing he managed to say before total and complete shock washed over him. All he could do was sit there on his knees while he continued to hold his hand over Logan's wound. It was only at the sound of footsteps that he found the sense to run again.

He could not stop. He could not cry. He had to run for his life. He had to find his sister. He had to get out of this place.

But as he rounded the corner, Dr. Nerus and Volker Althaus stood waiting for him along with his sister. Volker had his arm around Janna's neck and a pistol pointed to her head. Soon, the three other men in suits came up behind Jaden. He was completely and helplessly trapped.

Soon after, Jaden and Janna were led out of Durham Academy, never to see it again.


	2. Legends

**Episode Two**

**Legends**

They had no idea just how long they were in the van. It was dark and cold as they sat there, huddled together. By this time, Janna was in tears while her brother sat silent and quite in complete shock. Volker Althaus sat in front of the van and had a conversation over the phone about having acquired two new assets. One of the three men in black suits drove the van while the other two sat in back with Doctor Nerus.

The van finally stopped. When the back of the van was finally opened, they could see where they were at for the first time. At first glance, they seemed to be in a warehouse, but after examining the place, Jaden figured out that they were in the cargo bay of a large assault carrier.

"Hurry up!" One of the men snapped at Janna.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jaden

A fight looked like it might break out between Jaden and the man, but Volker came around to the back and calmed the situation. He reached into the van towards the crying girl. "It's alright. This is your new home. Don't be afraid."

Janna came out, but she did not take Volker's hand. She went to her brother's side.

Volker put his hand at his side. "I must report back to the bridge." He looked to the three men who assisted him. "Take these two into holding."

There didn't seem to be any hope of fighting. The men immediately grasped a hold of Jaden and Janna's arms and started to lead them across the cargo bay. They passed large cargo boxes, missiles, and forklifts. They didn't bother with the elevator because their destination was only two floors above. Clearly by the look of things, they were in the detention area. The windows were covered with steel plates and there were slots at the bottom to push food into the room if necessary.

The men led them to the third door on left. The door was opened with a passcode on the control panel. They were shoved into the room, and the door was slammed behind them. The light was very dim. Their eyes needed a moment to adjust.

Janna reached out and grabbed a hold of Jaden's hand. He squeezed back.

"Who's there?" A voice called out. He sounded very young. As their eyes focused in the low light, they were able to see a boy approach them in a wheelchair.

"Who are you?" Jaden asked.

"I asked you first," The boy said with a smile.

"Jaden,"

The boy looked to Janna. "And she is?"

Janna was still weeping silently.

"My sister."

The boy looked satisfied with those answers. "My name's Jonathan." Another boy came up and stood next to Jonathan in his wheelchair. It was difficult to tell with the lighting, but he seemed to have darker hair and skin. He extended his hand which Jaden took, but Janna did not.

"Faraj Najeeb." He said as he put his hand back at his side. "Is she alright?" He asked, looking over at Janna when she sniffled.

"We've been through a lot today."

Jonathan turned his wheelchair around. "We should sit down then. You need to rest."

Faraj followed Jonathan while Jaden led Janna over to the corner of the room. There were a few old pillows and blankets for them to keep warm. Two other boys sat against the wall resting. They opened their eyes as the others sat down.

One seemed to have fair skin and blonde hair while the other had brown shaggy hair. The blonde was dressed in a name-brand track suit while the other wore a torn and hole-ridden jacket over a faded black sweatshirt.

The blonde one spoke first. "Where are we now?"

Jaden knew exactly what he was asking. "Riah—Side 6." He looked over all of them, noting how tired and unkempt they all looked. "Who are you? Where did you all come from? What are they planning to do with us?"

"So they didn't tell you?" Faraj asked. "We're Newtypes."

"You have to be kidding me," Jaden said. "Newtypes are just…legends."

"I doubt Neo-Zeon would go to all this trouble just for a legend." Faraj said. "Haven't you heard the rumors? It is said that in the greatest conflicts in the last ten years have all had the participation of Newtypes."

"The entire White Base crew of the One Year War was said to be Newtypes. How else could they have turned the tide of the war?" Jonathan said.

"But we're just kids," Jaden said.

"Speak for yourself," The blonde spoke up.

"You know what he means, Kyle." Faraj shook his head.

"What do they want us to do? I don't understand," Jaden said. "Even if this Newtype stuff is really true, what are we supposed to do?"

"Newtypes change the tide of battle," Kyle, the blonde, said. He sat up off against the wall and leaned forward, slightly grinning. "We're natural born warriors."

"That's not exactly accurate," Jonathan spoke up, which only seemed to annoy Kyle. "Newtypes are the next stage in human evolution. The freedom from gravity has caused our brainwaves to reach out and feel the environment around us. We sense things faster and stronger than everyone else. "

"Unfortunately," Faraj spoke up. "Those abilities have been exploited by various military groups over the past decade."

"They're going to make us pilots—mobile suit pilots. And I for one am eager to demonstrate my abilities," Kyle said.

"This is Neo-Zeon we're talking about here," Jaden looked a bit appalled. "Do you have any idea just how much destruction and devastation they have caused?"

Before Kyle could make a reply, the small food slot at the doorway opened up. Two small trays were slid into the room along with one bottle of water. One tray had six small bowls of broth with half the contents spilled and the other had six stale baguettes. Faraj walked over to the door and grabbed the trays.

"Tasty as always," He said while bringing the food back over to the corner. He passed out the six bowls carefully and then started on the bread. "I'll put water in your cups once you finish your bowls."

Faraj passed one to Janna. She did not want to reach out for it, but he would not set it down. She glanced over and noticed the brown haired boy looking at her. He gave her a small smile then looked away. She turned her gaze back to the cup Faraj held out for her and took it.

They ate for a few moments in silence, sipping the cold broth and trying to chew the stale bread. After a while, Jaden spoke up again. "So where are you all from? How long have you been here? I mean— tell me about yourselves."

Jonathan, who didn't have his mouth full at the time, spoke first. "Well, my last's name Pickett—Jonathan Lee Pickett. Born and raised at Side One. But, I've been here for about three weeks now. I think that's about it. Oh, and I'm twelve years old."

"Twelve?" Jaden nearly choked on his stale bread. "Why would they take you? You're so young."

"Yeah, that's not all that's wrong with him," Kyle spoke up. It was glaringly obvious that Kyle referred to the fact that Jonathan was in a wheelchair.

The shaggy brown haired boy leaned forward off the wall and spoke for the first time. "It is not the body but the heart and the soul."

"Yeah, whatever," Kyle brushed off the comment. "Let's face it—the kid can't pilot a mobile suit. That's what they want from us."

"But I can do other things," Jonathan said, voice slightly quivering.

"Forget him," Faraj started pouring water into the empty broth bowls. "The name's Faraj Najeeb, by the way," He said as he passed the bowl back to Jaden. "Grew up in Granada but lived at Side Two for the past four years. I'm fifteen."

"What about you?" Jaden looked to the brown haired boy.

He did not speak right away, in fact, it took him a moment to realize he was being spoken to. "Dante Fiore. Side 4." He took a drink of water.

"How old are you?" Jaden asked.

"Seventeen," Dante said.

"Dante was first," Faraj added. "He's been here longer than any of us—six weeks."

Kyle laughed, but it wasn't a very kind laugh. "And that's the most he's said since he's been here. Probably used up all his words." Once he was done talking about Dante, he leaned toward and used his thumb to point at himself. "I'm Kyle Baron. You've probably heard of my family—they own Astrotech Space Mining Company. Third generation, you know. We're based out of Side 2. I suspect they're looking for me right now. "

"You mean…" Jaden almost hated to admit it. "…Your parents…" He couldn't finish that sentence.

"What happened?" Jonathan asked, noticing Jaden tone of voice. The pained look on Jaden and Janna's face explained all. "I'm sorry."

"I would assume that if our parents are still…they would look for us," Faraj said.

"Mine would," Jonathan said.

"Well, I know that mine would have the resources to find us the quickest. I suspect that I could be back at home any day now," Kyle said. "I don't suspect you all could say the same," Kyle looked over at Dante especially.

"What about your family, Dante?" Jonathan asked.

He waited a moment before speaking. "Stimulant addicts. Alcoholics. They won't know I'm missing."

Kyle snorted, as if he suspected it all along.

"You can come and live with me," Jonathan piped up, to which Dante gave a small appreciative smile. "We can be brothers! You can even have the spare room! Then Aunt Tessa won't be able to come over!"

"Well, isn't that just perfect?" Kyle said.

"Yeah, it is," Jonathan said, not noticing the sarcasm in Kyle's voice.

"Anyway," Kyle rolled his eyes. "You seem to be asking all the questions, but you haven't told us anything about yourselves." He looked straight at Janna. "For instance—the name of your lovely sister."

Jaden was about to wrinkle his nose, but Janna spoke up for the first time. She only said her name weakly, but it seemed to satisfy Kyle— he leaned back against the wall and tuned out of the conversation for the moment.

Jaden gave a small sigh before he started his story. He told them all about his family, his twin sister, their school, when NOEZ Corporation came for career testing, and how they finally ended up in the cell with the others. His story sound very familiar to the others as well. They were all taken away from their homes and schools to become slaves for Neo-Zeon.

They continued talking late into the night until they were so tired that they passed out on the cold, hard floor in the cell.

* * *

><p>She wore a pair of black sunglasses with her trench coat that morning. Strands of her brownish-red hair fluttered in the wind as she walked along the narrow, abandoned street along with a gentleman escort.<p>

"Slightly cold, but still a lovely day," Frau Kobayashi said to Amuro Ray.

Amuro kept glancing from side to side, looking for suspicious activity. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh Amuro, you need to relax. You're always so tense."

"Of course I'm tense," He said, still looking at his surroundings. "We're not exactly on a stroll are we?"

"No," Frau gripped the brief case she carried a little tighter. "We're not, but we need to look like we are."

Amuro frowned a little. "You're right." He released the tension in his shoulders and tried to calm himself. He down the street and saw a car. "Finally, there's a taxi."

They waved towards the taxi driver. She brought the car over to them, and they got into the car—Amuro in front and Frau in the back. "To the Space Port," Amuro said.

The taxi driver nodded and hit the accelerator.

They rode in silence for about twenty minutes until the taxi driver arrived at the space port. Amuro immediately rushed towards the door leaving Frau behind to pay the fare. Together, they hopped on a train leading out to the no-gravity zones of the colony. Again, they rode in silence as they raced towards the docking stations.

* * *

><p>The bridge on the <em>Resolution<em>, an Endra class carrier, was tense. The control panels were all manned by Neo-Zeon personnel wearing their official green uniforms trimmed with red collars and cuffs. Volker Althaus stood in front of the main monitor along with Captain Nimitz, leader of the ship. They argued most of the morning.

"We need to report back to Axis," Volker stood in his place, formally postured but very angry. "We need to leave the colony now!"

"I've already told you, we are not moving until all supplies are loaded. If this ship runs out of basic supplies, there'll be mutiny!" The Captain said back. "I'm the Captain of this ship! My word is law!"

"If you want to risk the displeasure of Lord Zebulon, be my guest, but I will have you know, Captain, that you just may not be _Captain_ of this fair ship for much longer."

"Is that a threat, Volker?" Captain Nimitz glared at his much younger rival. "I've been a loyal servant of the Zeon Empire—long before you were even a gleam in your father's eye—I've fought in every war since…"

"And I, sir, am a part of the personal entourage and bodyguard of Lord Zebulon himself! Lord Zebulon has commissioned me to being him Newtypes. That is what I have done. Now, however, I am delayed in my task by a daft, bumbling, old…"

"Watch it," The Captain raised a finger. "You may have some special clout at Axis, _Lieutenant_, but I am still the Captain of this _ship_."

"And if you don't move this ship closer to Axis and away from this colony, the officials of this colony might start to get suspicious of the fact that two teenagers are missing from Baldur Bay. I'd like the ship to be as far away as possible when that happens," Volker said with a haughty attitude. "I think even someone like you can understand that."

"As I told you," Captain Nimitz glared back at the Lieutenant. "We'll set on course back to Axis when the supplies are finished being loaded."

Volker Althaus only frowned as he gave a final salute before he left the bridge. "Sieg Zeon!"

"Sieg Zeon!"

* * *

><p>The suitcase they carried along with them had the supplies they would need for their mission. They both were in normal suits and carried pistols they took off Zeon soldiers.<p>

Frau peered around a corner of a long hallway. There was nobody there. She stepped into the hallway with her pistol pointed forward. Amuro came up behind her, in a white normal suit, with his gun also ready to meet any opposition. They moved swiftly, silently, and carefully through the ship. They searched for a computer to hack in order to find what they were looking for.

* * *

><p>One scoop of sugar. Two scoops of sugar. Three scoops of sugar. Volker Althaus stirred in the last scoop of sugar into his tea. He took a deep breath of the hot steam that rose to his nostrils. He pulled the spoon out of the cup and set it down on his napkin. He grasped the handle of the teacup. Boom! An explosion far away from his quarters gave a slight shake to the room. He closed his eyes as he grasped the handle of the cup.<p>

"Idiots—all idiots," He said bitterly. He waited a moment for the siren of the ship to start blaring. It came. He still waited a few moments. Some idiot would come running into his room to explain the situation.

And that idiot came. "Lieutenant Althaus!"

"Yes," Volker said.

"There's been an explosion in the containment wing!"

Volker arose from his chair. "Obviously," He sighed. "Get to your station. We're on full-lockdown." As calm as he sounded, he was furious inside. He immediately stormed towards the elevator. He would not lose those Newtypes.

* * *

><p>The doorway was smoking from the controlled explosion, but as they feared, the small explosion set off the alarm system of the ship. Frau and Amuro looked into the hole they created. After their eyes adjusted, they saw six curious faces looking back at them.<p>

"Come on, we have to get out of here—quickly," Amuro said to the prisoners. He watched as they obeyed his order, but he frowned at the sight of the boy in the wheelchair.

The others noticed Amuro's face. Dante stepped forward. "We're not leaving without him."

"Right" Jaden nodded, along with Faraj.

Amuro shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it. It's just a shame that we're going to have to leave it behind. It will make life difficult for a while."

"I'd rather live than worry about the chair, sir," Jonathan said gingerly.

"Well spoken, kid." Amuro reached down and pulled the boy out of the chair. He carried Jonathan on his back while the boy tightly threw his arms around Amuro's neck. "We have to go now, come on."

Everyone was ready to go, but Kyle stood firm. "Why should we trust you?"

"Because he's Amuro Ray," Jaden said, realizing it for the first time. He and Amuro exchanged looks for just a moment.

"No time for pleasantries. We have to go." Amuro shifted Jonathan's position and continued down the hallway. "Follow us if you want to leave this place."

"Yes, yes, quickly now." Frau said. "We must hurry."

"Where are you taking us?" Janna spoke up for the first time in many hours, but she still sounded just as frightened as before.

"To our ship. We've got to get you away from this colony."

As they rounded the corner, they met their first resistance. Frau immediately dispatched them with her pistol. She explained to them afterwards that it was a stunning pistol because she refused to kill unless necessary. They traveled a little further until they met two more soldiers in the hallway. This time however, they were taken out by a fist storm from the boys.

Once they reached the cargo hold, they hesitated for a moment. The place was on full-alert with the sirens blaring. Zeon Soldiers assembled into small groups and then would take off to search the perimeter. They would have to work their way through the cargo area and manage to leave the ship. Then there were would be the small task of getting somewhere safe and secure.

"Stick close and be quite," Amuro said, slightly out of breath from carrying Jonathan. "We'll get through this together." He looked towards the back of the line at Frau. "You go first and motion us forward."

"Right," Frau nodded and moved up to the front. She peered out of the doorway to see if anyone was looking. Once she deemed it safe, she ran ahead and scouted a safe position. After checking the area, she motioned forward the teenagers. They ran out quietly, following one by one, until the whole group managed to cross the first portion of the cargo bay. They hid behind a large stack of crates while they planned the next crossing.

Amuro cursed at the sight of more Zeon soldiers to which Frau frowned. More soldiers gathered in the large open area of the cargo bay and lined up for attention.

"I want those children found," Volker Althaus stood firm in front of a large assembly of men. He wore a wool-grey Zeon uniform to designate his officer status over his subordinates. He carried a dark cane that he squeezed tightly as he spoke to the other soldiers.

"That's the guy," Jaden said to Amuro. "The guy who took us and brought us here."

"So he's the ringleader," Amuro said. "We've been looking for the one who caused this mess for quite a long time now." He stared at the blonde haired man who clutched his cane tightly.

They waited for what seemed like an eternity for the soldiers to split up and give them a chance to move to the next safe point. Once that chance finally came, they quickly moved to another spot let by Frau. They played this game for the next few minutes. They drew closer to the exit. This would be more difficult. Since the sirens were flaring, the whole ship would be on lockdown. Just as they expected, there were four guards on patrol at the exit. Not only would this be difficult, they would need to open the loading ramp, attracting more unwanted attention. They waited behind another stack of crates waiting for the right time. Amuro set Jonathan down and assessed the situation.

The particular soldiers assigned to guarding the exit ramp were not bright to say the least. They guarded the doorway, but they did not guard the control panel that opened and closed the ramp unto the ship. It was only a matter of moments that Frau was able to get herself over to the control panel while Amuro started using his pistol to quietly take out the soldiers. Two were on the ground, both with shoulder wounds. Before he could even stop them, the boys behind him ran forward and rushed the two remaining guards.

All the commotion alerted the other guards in the hull of the ship.

"Come on! Let's go!" Amuro hollered. He quickly scooped up Jonathan and started running for the door. The sound of gunfire started popping and echoing all through the hull. "Go! Go! Go!"

Frau followed quickly behind the group, continuously firing her stunning pistol at their pursuers. They managed to get themselves out of the ship, but now it was a matter of getting from one end of the space port to the other. Luckily, Frau and Amuro had friends waiting.

As quickly as they could, they ran through the empty hallways of the space port listening to the sound of pursing soldiers. They just had to make it a little further. They just had to make it to a supply dock and then they could rendezvous with allies.

They finally reached a vast area that looked much like a train or bus station. Many small ships, people, and cars filled the room.

"You said Ibram would be here!" Amuro hollered.

"I called him just before we entered the ship!" Frau looked around frantically. "He said he'd be here!"

It was just that moment that a white van swerved around the corner, causing the door to fly open. Looking at them from the front seat, an African man looked at them with a large grin. "Get in!"

"Everyone in!" Amuro exclaimed, putting Jonathan into the van first. He jumped into the seat next to Jonathan and started pulling the other teens into the van.

Faraj was the last person in the van. "Go! Go! Go!" He said needlessly as the van tires squealed against the cement floor.

"Where are you taking us?" Janna repeated her earlier question.

Amuro kept looking out the back of the van. "We're going to the Nahel Argama. It's one of the A.E.U.G's assault carriers." He finally looked at Janna. "We've got to get you all away from this colony. We've got to make sure you're safe."

"Yo, Chief, we've got company," Kyle spoke up, noticing a group of soldiers tailing them. The soldiers were commandeering a space port loading truck from the port workers.

Amuro crawled to the back and looked out the window. "Can't catch a break, can we?" He looked back towards the front of the van. "Ibram, step on it!"

"I already am '_stepping on it_!'" The driver hollered.

"We've just got to get to the loading ramp of the Argama," Amuro said. "We can drive the van right into the ship's hull and then take off."

"How do we keep those guys from following us onto the ship as well?" Jaden asked.

"Hopefully their sense of self-preservation will kick in, and they'll think twice about following us onto the ship," Amuro said.

Frau had her arm around Janna, who still was frightened. "There are people on the Argama that will protect you. We won't let anything happen to you. _Any of you_."

They rode in the van, flying at an incredibly illegal speed, and within a few minutes, they arrived at the other end of the space port. It was one big blur as they drove into the ship, and came to a quick stop inside the cargo hold of the ship.

Just as Amuro had predicted, the vehicles that chased them did not pursue them into the ship. They were safe, at least for now.

Ibram put the van into park, lifted his foot off the break, and turned the van off. They sat in silence for just a moment.

"Is everyone okay?" Frau asked. They all murmured a response back to her.

Amuro was first to get up out of his seat. "Come on, let's get to the bridge."

They all unloaded out of the van and once again, Amuro grabbed Jonathan and straddled him on his back. They took a whirlwind tour of the Nahel Argama as the group of teens were led up to the bridge by Amuro and followed behind by Frau and Ibram.

They entered the bridge. The Captain's chair spun around. Bright Noa surveyed the group of ragtag teens for a moment before he stood up from his chair. He continued to study them as he approached.

"You've got to be kidding me," Faraj uttered, breathlessly. "You were the Captain of the White Base. I've seen your picture."

"Captain Bright Noa of the Earth Federation. Welcome to the Nahel Argama." He looked away towards the workers at the control panel. "Torres, are we ready to launch?"

"Almost, Captain. We're at 87%."

"Launch when ready."

"Yes, sir!"

The Captain looked to Amuro and Ibram. "Alert Lieutenant Sharpe. I want all pilots on standby."

They nodded. Amuro walked over to an empty chair at the control panel and put Jonathan down. "See you later, kid."

"Thanks," Jonathan said.

Amuro and Ibram left the bridge.

Captain Bright turned his attention back to the teens. "Frau, take them to a safe place and get them some normal suits. Have them prepared for launch. After that, we've better get them some rations," He said, noticing their appearances.

"Right, Captain." She nodded. The teens started to follow her. Dante and Faraj picked up Jonathan and carried him out of the bridge with the others.

* * *

><p>The ship managed to leave Side Six safely without any disruption or trouble, but Captain Bright knew that peace would not last. However, he knew that they had a few hours to spare. Once they were far enough from the colony, they would probably be attacked. As the ship left the gravity of the colony, Bright found himself slowly floating into the air. They were back in space. He now had to use the side handles on the walls of the ship to carry him around.<p>

The only sounds he heard were from the mess hall. He headed towards the cafeteria and entered the room to find the group of teens eating the rations that Frau gave them. Even though they looked ravenously hungry, they ate slowly and cautiously, unsure of their surroundings. They stopped and looked up as the Captain entered the room.

Bright looked over all of them again. "Make sure you eat slowly," He said, feeling a bit awkward for sounding so fatherly.

Frau looked over at the Captain. "Some of these kids have been held prisoner for close to six weeks. They'll need to clean up and receive new clothes."

Bright nodded. "I think we can accommodate that."

Faraj stopped eating. He looked up. "What are you going to do with us?"

Bright turned towards Faraj. "Hopefully, we can clear the airspace safely and leave Side Six behind us."

"I want to go home," Kyle said. "I've already been jerked around long enough."

"Yes, I understand." Bright nodded. "When we have cleared the threat, we can arrange for safe return for all of you."

"I've already been here for weeks now! I said _I want to go home_!"

"We all want to go home, Kyle!" Jonathan said. "We've got to wait a little more, okay?"

"No, it's not okay," Kyle mumbled, turning back to his lunch.

Jaden looked over at his sister, who was pushing her food around with a spoon. She noticed his gaze and looked at him. They had nowhere to go home to. How would they explain that to the ship's crew? Where would they go now?

As the group fell silent, giggles from the hallway could be heard. Soon, a young man and woman came into the room. They both had on AEGU uniforms, but their uniforms were not straight and proper. Once they noticed they weren't alone, they changed their posture.

"Ah," The Captain said. "Petty Officer Rika," He nodded towards the male in a black AEGU uniform. "Petty Officer Sheen," He said to the woman in green. "Here are the teens we've been looking for."

"Ah, right." The man noted their presence. He was a little bit taller than the woman next to him, and he was of Asian descent. He saluted to the group present. "Petty Officer Third Class Shinobu Rika, reporting for duty." He looked serious for a moment until he glanced over at the woman. They both burst into a fit of giggles.

Captain Bright gave them a disapproving look, and then they stopped. The woman had medium-length straight blonde hair. She looked over the teenagers who looked only confused at her and her friend's appearance. "I'm Erin—Erin Sheen. Shin and I are pilots on this ship."

"Oh, that makes me feel better," Kyle spoke up.

Faraj kicked him from under the table.

More voices came from the hallway. "Once we reach Granada, we'll be able to resupply and pick up the other units. Until then, this is all we have." Soon, the driver who brought the teens to the Nahel Argama walked into the room with a man they had never met before. He was of medium height, and he had brownish-auburn hair. He stood straight and proud like a soldier, but he wore a pair of jeans and the black leather jacket of the ESFS.

Janna looked up from her lunch.

"Here are the kids," The Captain said softly to the newcomer.

The man nodded. "I'm glad you're all safe. Hopefully, we'll be at Granada soon. We can get everything sorted out there and get you back to your families."

"Everyone, this is Lieutenant Richard Sharpe. He is the commanding pilot of the Nahel Argama."

Lieutenant Sharpe only nodded in response.

The Captain next motioned to the man who drove the van. "And you know, Ibram—Ensign Ibram Azuma."

"You only have four pilots?" Jaden spoke up.

"We've been short-staffed for the past few months, but as you see, we've had Frau here to help us and Amuro too."

"Are you all, Newtypes?" Jonathan spoke up. They all looked shocked. "I mean…" He started to blush a bit. "I read in a book…"

"No," The Lieutenant said. "We're not Newtypes."

"Except Amuro," Frau said. "He's a Newtype, like you."

Jaden pondered for a moment. "It's true then. There really are Newtypes. They're not just legends?"

Captain Bright nodded. "Yes, I've seen what they can do. Amuro Ray, Char Aznable, Kamille Bidan, Judau Ashta…they're real. Newtypes are real."

The room fell silent for a few moments. The other pilots got themselves some lunch and sat down with the teens to eat. They knew that there would only be a few more peaceful moments until they were caught up with their pursuers.


	3. Sacrifice

**Episode Three**

Sacrifice

They were resting comfortably in the lounge area of the ship. They had eaten all their rations and were quietly sipping warm tea. Captain Bright had returned to his post at the bridge while Lieutenant Sharpe and Ensign Ibram had excused themselves to go to the mobile suit hangar. Only Frau, Shinobu, and Erin remained with the teens.

Frau put two scoops of sugar into a cup of tea, and she gently passed it to Janna with a smile. "Here you are, dear."

Janna took it, but still did not say much.

"If you are not stationed on the Nahel Argama, then why are you here?" Jaden spoke to Frau.

Frau took a sip of her tea before she answered. "Captain Bright is an old friend. He asked me for my help in finding you so I came for a few months to help."

"Where will you go now?" Jonathan asked. "Or will you stay longer?"

"Once we reach Granada, I will take my leave. I need to return to my family."

"You have a family?" Jonathan seemed surprised.

Frau nodded. "Letz, Kikka, and…Hayato Junior." Her face became sad, and no one asked her anymore questions.

The silence was only broken when Shinobu crunched into a cookie. "These cookies aren't too bad. Better that the kind we had last rations restock."

"You've been here long?" Faraj asked to Shinobu.

Shinobu's mouth was too full of cookies to answer. Erin answered for him, "Shin and I have been here for about five months now."

"Left the ESFS…joined AEUG…came here…" Shin said between mouthfuls of cookie.

"You have families too?" Faraj asked.

Shin shook his head. Erin paused for a moment, for the very first time being serious. "I have parents back on Earth. I had a sister, but she..."

For the first time too, Shin looked serious for a moment, but it quickly went away when he reached for more cookies.

"What about Lieutenant Sharpe?" Janna spoke up. The others were surprised that she spoke.

"Nah, he doesn't have anyone," Shin said. "At least, I don't think he does." Shin ate another cookie.

"Ibram does though," Erin said. "His wife and daughter are at Granada. He's very excited to get to them. Hopefully, we'll be there within a day or two."

"Where is home for you?" Faraj asked.

Erin spoke first. "I grew up in the old United States—quite close to Helena Air Force Base. It's almost as big as the Cheyenne Base. "

"Born and raised in Tokyo," Shin said. "Never left until I met Erin and joined the ESFS."

Frau set her empty teacup down on the table. If you're ready, I'd be happy to show you all to the showers. I'm sure you're all looking forward to cleaning up."

"We won't have time," Dante said, speaking for the very first time while on the Argama.

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"They should be in range at any moment."

"Who?" Kyle folded his arms over his chest, defiantly.

"Neo-Zeon." Dante's brown eyebrows furrowed seconds before the alarm started blaring on the ship. "And there they are."

Shin and Erin immediately put their teacups down and got up from their seats. Before they left the room, Shin grabbed a fist full of cookies, and trotted out the door behind Erin. Frau looked like a woman who was trying to remain calm, but the smallest hint of shock was on her face. She turned to the teens in the room that were starting to look worried.

"What's happening? What's going on?" Janna asked.

Dante turned to Frau. "They'll engage, won't they?"

Frau nodded. "Yes, they will. I need to go to the bridge. I also work as a communications officer while on this ship. I want you all to put your normal suits back on and wait in this room."

The teens nodded and started to make their way to their discarded normal suits from launch. Frau floated out of the room and grabbed one of the handles that would take her towards the bridge.

In the hangar, the pilots scrambled into their normal suits and prepped for launch. Lieutenant Sharpe and Amuro were already climbing up into their mobile suits. Amuro opened the cockpit of a Rick Dias unit and climbed into the seat. He quickly started flipping switches. The machine fired up.

By the time Shin and Erin were being lifted up to their mobile suits, Amuro and Rick were moving their suits to launch position. Ibram was firing up the last Rick Dias model. Shin climbed into the Metheuss—an old but faithful mobile suit to the Argama's crew. Erin, however, jumped into one of the new issued GMIII units. The other remained in the hangar due to the need for repairs. The crew had been through a lot of skirmishes without resupplies and repairs for a long time. Hopefully, they would be able to make it through one more sortie before they reached Granada.

"Amuro Ray, ready to launch!" The catapult shot him off into the deep darkness of outer space.

Rick Sharpe positioned his mobile suit onto the opposite launch.

"Lieutenant Sharpe, Rick Dias, launching!"

"Ensign Azuma, ready for take-off!" Ibram shot off the launch pad.

Soon Shin and Erin were loaded on the launch pad.

"Time to roll!" Shin exclaimed as he fired off.

"Here we go!" Erin said as the force of the launch frapped against her body.

Soon five mobile suits joined up in formation. Seconds later, they received their orders from the bridge. "Approach with caution. There is an asteroid field ahead in the first quadrant—a perfect place for an ambush during sortie."

"Perhaps we can use that to our advantage," Shin said.

"They might want us to get drawn into the field as well," Rick said. "They don't want us. They want the kids."

"Rick's right," Amuro said. We've got to keep our wits about us."

* * *

><p>"Launch all suits!" Volker yelled to the communications officers on the bridge. The Captain of the ship started to protest, but Volker ignored him. "Engage the enemy mobile suits! Draw them into the asteroid field ahead!" He turned sharply towards Captain Nimitz. "I'm going out there. I want full status reports every five minutes, and I want to be alerted on status changes."<p>

"It's too dangerous to engage the enemy," The Captain said, half-heartedly. "It would be a shame if something happened."

"I won't be engaging directly. Remember to deploy the dummies in the second quadrant; we want to draw them into the first. If you don't…well let's not fail, shall we?" Volker stormed off to the mobile suit hangar.

Volker was followed by two men. The one on his right looked like a gorilla in a normal suit. His name was Ensign Magnus Crom. The other on his left was Ensign Jonas Reed. He was short and bared a resemblance to a weasel. The three of them stormed out of the bridge and headed to the hangar. While the other pilots loaded up into the standard Zeon mobile suits, they headed to the three custom units. They quickly launched behind the others and headed out for their special mission.

(PAGE BREAK)

They couldn't just sit in the cafeteria. They bounced in their normal suits towards the bridge. Captain Bright was shouting orders at the communications officers while communicating strategies to the pilots about to sortie. Once the crew was finished giving directions to the pilots, silence fell over the bridge.

Jaden waited a moment before he spoke. "Why do they think we're worth all this trouble?"

Captain Bright continued to stare out into space. "Because you're capable of great things."

"Great things?" Jaden looked out the windows towards the vastness of space too.

Bright waited a moment before speaking again. "A Newtype can make the impossible a reality."

"The impossible a reality," Jaden whispered to himself.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, there are mobile suits over in quadrant two," Erin reported to her co-pilots. "I think I can count seven. My camera can't zoom in any further."<p>

Amuro stared off into the distance towards quadrant two.

"Decoys?" Rick asked over the intercom.

Amuro tried to sense the presence of life, but he couldn't reach out that far. He felt angry with himself. It had been three months since he returned to space after being on the Earth for almost nine long years. He still did not feel like himself, and that made him angry.

"We'll have to avoid that area until we find out," Ibram said.

"They're trying to push us into the asteroid field," Rick said. "We need details on their ship. If we can get a good look at their carrier, we can get a better idea of how many suits it could carry."

"Then we would have a better guess if those are decoys over in quadrant two," Ibram said.

"Right," Rick said. "What do you think, Amuro?"

Amuro didn't answer for a moment. He furrowed his brow in frustration. "Yeah, we'll have to check out their ship. Everyone will have to keep their heads up. Asteroid fields are the perfect place for surprises."

Things were quiet and peaceful. They slowly continued into the asteroid field looking for more signs of life. They finally found them as shots came at them from various points. The enemy mobile suits were hiding in the asteroid field ready for attack. The sortie was on!

It seemed like shots were being fired from everywhere. Amuro knew that they could be dealing with up to twelve mobile suits, but how many were firing at them right now? As he dodged the shots, he wondered if it really was all twelve. Anger rose up inside of him because of his dulling senses, but as his passion ignited, his senses started to sharpen around him. "There are two behind first asteroid on the left!" He yelled and charged forward.

"Be careful or they'll have us surrounded!" Rick called to his co-pilots.

* * *

><p>The plan seemed to be working as flawlessly as he hoped. While the other mobile suit units would drag the AEUG squad further and further away from the Nahel Argama, they would prepare a crippling attack on the ship and its passengers.<p>

A Mega Bazooka Launcher was mounted upon one of the three mobile suits while the other two stood aside to help charge the cannon and provide stability. It would only take a matter of minutes to be fully operational, and if everything continued to go well, the Argama's crew would be too far drawn away from their ship to protect it. Lieutenant Althaus smiled at his own brilliance as he watched the numbers on his cockpit dashboard rise.

"Ensign Reed, I want you to aim for the engines of the Nahel Argama. I want it immobilized."

"Yes, sir," The Ensign replied with a weasel-like laugh.

"Im-mo-bil-ized?" The other Ensign, Magnus Crom, uttered slowly, trying to sound out each syllable.

"It means stop the ship, you idiot," Ensign Reed snapped.

"Don't worry about it, Crom," Volker said, almost kindly. "You just do what you're good at and we'll have this completed in no time at all."

"Yes, sir," Ensign Crom said.

"At 38% percent, sir," Ensign Reed spoke up.

"Excellent," Volker nodded.

* * *

><p>The bridge was tense. Captain Bright was constantly giving orders to the crew on and off the battleship. They were doing the best they could to scan the asteroid field to give any support to those in sortie, but it was difficult at such a distance. The teens in their normal suits stood behind the Captain's chair close to the exit watching patiently. While everyone was enthralled with the camera shots of the asteroid field, Dante Fiore walked over to the window of the ship, and looked outside.<p>

He was a quiet boy, but he firmly spoke up. "Redirect the cameras! Eight o'clock!"

"What?" Captain Bright stopped mid-sentence and looked over at Dante.

"On it," Frau had already punched in the command into the computer. A new screen shot popped up on the bridge's main display screen.

"Oh my god…" Torres nearly spilled his soda all over himself.

"Get them back here! Immediately!" Bright hollered.

Just as Frau began to switch on communications to the mobile suits, Amuro's voice came in. "This is turning into a real mess!"

"Amuro!" Frau hollered back frantically. "Three mobile suits are targeting the Nahel Argama! We need you to get back here!"

"We can't!" Amuro hollered between pants. "We're surrounded!"

"You have to get out of there, Amuro! You and Rick stay! Cover the retreat for Shin, Ibram, and Erin," Captain Bright ordered.

Janna looked around at all the frantic activity. "What's going on?" She asked, although she knew the answer in her heart already. "What's happening? Are we in trouble?"

"We should have just stayed put with Zeon," Kyle said, bitterly. "At least we wouldn't be in this mess." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"They're the ones causing this mess, you idiot!" Faraj said. "Do you think they give a damn whether you live or die?"

"Oh, because obviously these people do, you son of a cab-driving…"

"Excuse me?" Faraj's nostrils flared. "My father is an engineer…"

"Stop it!" Jonathan started pushing in between them.

"Are we going to be okay? What's going on? What's happening?" Janna continued to repeat, with nobody answering her questions.

Even though the atmosphere on the bridge was hostile, frightening, and loud, Jaden found himself being able to focus clearer than he had ever before. Things were happening around him, and he could process it, but feelings, choices, and decisions were rising up in him stronger and clearer than ever before. His resolve was growing stronger by the second. He looked over at Captain Bright who was frantically trying to guide his mobile suit pilots back to the ship. Dante had moved away from the window and was now sitting next to Frau to help her gather surveillance of the situation. Faraj and Kyle continued their bickering while Jonathan tried to calm them, but his sister stood behind the Captain's chair only asking questions.

Jaden quietly took a step back then another and another. As he did, he felt something in his pocket. It was his flash drive. He pulled out of his pocket, dropped it to the floor, and continued to walk away. Nobody saw or heard him leave the bridge.

* * *

><p>"Go! Go! Go!" Amuro hollered to Shin.<p>

"I can't! There's too many!" Shin said, gritting through his teeth.

"Erin, any luck on your side?" Rick asked.

Sweat rolled down Erin's forehead, making her helmet more uncomfortable by the second. "It's looking worse and worse," She said.

"Ibram?"

"No luck here!"

"Rick, cover me!" Amuro said. "I'm going to fight my way back!"

"Roger that!" Rick prepared himself for heavy fire by switching to the mobile suit's short-range firearms.

Slowly, Amuro moved his mobile suit to the back of the line and hoped that he would be able to get back to the Argama before anything drastic happened.

* * *

><p>The mobile suit hangar was almost empty. There weren't any people around—the Argama was so short staffed anyway—and almost all the mobile suits were gone, except one. That would have to be the one. It was a GMIII model, but as he ran closer to it, Jaden saw that one arm was missing. It would have to do. He started for the lift, but a voice hollered at him.<p>

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!" Astonaige Medoz, the chief mechanic of the Nahel Argama, came out into the middle of the hangar waving his arms and yelling.

"Sorry," Jaden said to the stranger before jumping onto the lift and pushing the button. "We'll die if someone doesn't go out there!"

Astonaige looked up angrily at the boy as he ascended into the air. "That mobile suit is in no condition to fly! You'll get yourself killed!" The boy didn't listen since he opened up the cockpit and hopped inside. Astonaige shook his head. He hadn't been up to the cafeteria or the bridge to meet the Newtypes yet, but he was sure this unruly kid was one of them. They were always causing trouble!

Jaden gulped as all the electronic devices flared up inside the cockpit. There were so many lights, buttons, switches, and controls that it was simple to be overwhelmed. He closed his eyes for a moment, but not too long, otherwise reality would set in. He forced himself to be calm and remember all the things he ever learned or read about mobile suits. Suddenly, a release of tension pulsed through his body. His arms came up and naturally took ahold of the controls as if it were second nature. He moved the mobile suit.

* * *

><p>"The enemy mobile suits are refusing communication with us," Dante said, furiously typing away at keys on the control panel.<p>

Torres gritted through his teeth, "There are civilian minors on board…how low can you get?"

"I think we've already seen enough that they don't care about any of that," Frau said, darkly.

Bright leaned forward in his chair and put his face in his hands for a moment. He needed to focus. He needed to think. He had been close to death so many times before, but this time, it seemed like there wasn't hope for escape.

An alarm started going off on the control panel. "Uh, Captain," Frau looked confused. "We have a manual forced opening of the mobile suit hangar…"

"What in the world!" Bright got out of his chair and immediately ran for the control panel. "Get Astonaige on the line!"

"Sir!" Dante said, pulling up a camera screen. They saw a badly damaged GMIII unit leaving the ship. "Do you have any more pilots on board?" Dante asked.

"No," Bright said. He turned around and looked at the kids. One was missing.

* * *

><p>"95…96…97…" Volker's smile grew wider and wider as the numbers continued to rise. "Get ready to fire, Ensign Reed. Keep the bazooka launcher steady, and you'll do just fine."<p>

"Yes, sir!" The Ensign responded.

* * *

><p>He knew he had to stop them. He didn't know how, but he knew that he had to do it. Jaden charged forward in the broken mobile suit, as fast as it would allow him, towards the three enemy suits aiming for the Argama.<p>

His heart was pounding. At this point, he was acting on some driving force inside of him, and that driving force moved faster than his mind could process. Only one thought kept pushing through the rush of adrenaline—Janna.

* * *

><p>"…98…" Ensign Reed, the pilot who would pull the trigger, grinned widely. "…99…what the?" They had hardly noticed it, but a mobile suit was flying straight at them with its beam saber ready to strike.<p>

"Fall back!" Volker screamed, hitting the accelerator in reverse.

* * *

><p>This is what he had to do. He had to destroy that cannon. This was the only way. He rammed into the mobile suit with his very own suit, piercing the enemy suit with his beam saber. Sparks flew from the damaged circuits and frayed wires.<p>

Jaden closed his eyes. "Janna, I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>Amuro had finally broken out of the asteroid field and had rushed back to the<p>

Argama. As soon as he came into the area, he saw an explosion in the distance, but it was not by sight he noticed the event first. Moments before, a searing pain inside made his chest ache. The wounds of the past—being able to feel the pain of battle—were ripped open once again. He had reawakened to his abilities.

* * *

><p>"JADEN!" Janna had already collapsed to the floor. She did not see what happened, but the mysterious link between herself and her twin now seemed strangely dimmed. The crew of the Argama sat quiet as they watched the fire of the explosion gently fade away. Frau was the only one to move after many moments to try and comfort the sobbing girl.<p>

* * *

><p>Volker Althaus shook his head. His ears were ringing badly from the explosion. He was able to get away despite being badly shaken up. Ensign Reed was gone and so was the cannon. He wearily reached forward and pushed a button to open communication. "Ensign Crom, do you copy?"<p>

It took a few moments for the Ensign to reply. "Yeah, boss. I copy."

"We're heading back to the ship."

"What about Jonas?"

"He's dead," Volker said matter of factly. "Now, let's leave this place."

The line was quite for a moment. "Yes, sir."

They took off, leaving the Nahel Argama alone for now.


End file.
